Separable square.



L. BRODT. SEPARABLE SQUARE.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.16, 1909.

Patented J an. 10,1911.

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LINCOLN BRODT, OF WEST BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

SEPARABLE SQUARE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

Application filed December 16, 1905). Serial No. 533,384.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

30 it known that I, LINCOLN citizen of the United States, residing at fest Berkeley, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Separable t' qnares, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to improvements in squares for the use of carpenters and mechanics. Its object is to provide a strong, accurate, practical separable square, simple in construction, which can be manufactured and sold practically at the same price as any onepiece square; and which improved square, when interlocked, will be perfectly rigid, with its opposite surfaces flat and flush at the joint, so there will be nothing to interfere with the squares lying perfectly flat the same as an ordinary square. Particularly I have designed a square with in ier-locking means whereby friction and wear are entirely eliminated, and which may be subjected to any sort of rough usage without the squares being loosened or getting out of true.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combination of parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective of the separated arms. Fig. 2 is apartial central longitudinal section of the arm A. Fig. 3 is a perspective of the wedge members. Fig. at is a plan of a portion of the square.

In the embodiment of the invention as put to actual use, and as shown in the drawings, A and B represent two separable arms of suitable size and construction and suitably graduated in a manner well known in the art. The invention resides in the interlocking means for these arms. One arm, as B, is slightly reduced at the end, as shown at 2, there being a part out out from one side corresponding to a ledge 3 on the opposite arm A; the reduced portion 2 being slotted, as shown at 4:, so as to lit the tongue portion 5 on arm A, this tongue portion hav ing a thickness equal to the width of the slot, and the length of the tongue being equal to the width of the slotted end 2, so that the two parts will have a snug, sliding interlocking fit.

When the two arms are put together they Will stand approximately at right angles to Bnonr, a

each other, and a diamond-shaped or ovoidal hole 6 in the end 2 will just register with a corresponding hole 7 in the tongue 5. Both sides of the end 2 are made with similar holes 6, and the walls of these holes re beveled oppositely and outwardly, as shown at 8, while the hole 7 in tongue 5 has its walls straight across, as shown in Fig. 1. These doubleended oppositely tapered holes 6'? are important, as are likewise the tapered wedges 9 which are adapted to fit these roles and to be expanded one fro-m the other to clamp and bind the arms A and 13 together and maintain them rigidly and fixedly in right angle position.

The wedge members 9 are connected by the right and left threaded screw 10 which is perforated at 11 to receive a nail or like instrument whereby it may be rotated to draw the wedges 9 toward, or force them from, each other. lVhen the wedges 9 are drawn inwardly toward each other, and the arms A and B are slipped together so as to bring the holes (3-7 into register, the wedges can be slipped into the holes, and then by turning the screw 10 in the proper direction the wedges 9 are forced outwardly from each other into the wedge-shaped ends of the slots 6-7. The wedges are each grooved, as shown at 12, on their opposite sides, these grooves having a flat bottom and inwardly beveled walls 18, as shown. These beveled walls 13 on one side of the wedges are adapted to coact with the beveled walls 8 on that side of the holes 6 in arm 13, while the fiat bottom of the grooves 12 on the opposite side of the wedges are adapted to coact with the corresponding wall of the slot 7 in arm A. Consequently when the screw 10 is rotated to eXpand the wedges it will have a drawing effect on the arm B transversely of arm A, so as to bring the bottom r of slot 4 snug up against the flat straight edge portion 5 of the tongue 5.

Thus it will be seen that the wedges have a double draw, with two points of bearing on one side of the wedge, to-wit, against the inclined faces S, as'shown in Fig. 2, and one point of bearing on the opposite side of the wedges, to-wit, against the corresponding wall of slot in tongue 5. Consequently there is no fr1ct1on and no wear between the joints of the square. Also, this three-point bearing of the two sections, produced by the beveled walls 8--13-8 and straight bottom of slot 12 against the straight the ends and having wall of tongue 5, produces a pinching action on the ends of the forked end 2, to press these ends together and so hold them tight and flush against that edge of the square at all times; this pinching action being represented by the arrows 1a. Furthermore, the lateral end guide 3 on member A is adapted to support and give rigidity to the corresponding edge of the reduced end 2 of member B.

By fashioning the apertures 6-7 and the double-ended expansible wedge in the manner shown, the drawing action by the Wedge is exerted directly at right angles to the tongued member A of the square, and the pull is distributed practically over the full length of the apertures 67, so that a broad firm seat and bearing are provided for one member against the other.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A square comprising two separable members, one of which is grooved at one end in the plane of the member, the other member having a corresponding tongue to fit the groove, said tongued and grooved portions co-incidentally apertured, said apertures being wider at the center than at similar ends, and an expansible wedge member formed of two similar parts with their bases presented toward each other, the parts of said wedge member fitting corresponding parts of the apertures.

2. A square comprising two separable members one of which is grooved at one end in the plane of the member, the other member having a corresponding tongue to fit the groove, said tongued and grooved portions co-incidentally apertured, said apertures being wider at-the center than at the ends and having similar ends with the apertured portions relatively reversed, and a double-ended expansible member fitting in said aperture, said expansible member comprising two relatively reversed but similar tapered parts with their edges grooved and with their bases presented toward each other, the walls of said grooves being beveled, and the walls correspondingly beveled whereby on the eX- pansion of the wedge said wedge will have two points or lines of bearing on one side and against the grooved member of the square and will have one point or line of bearing on the other side and against the tongue portion of the square.

In testimony whereof I have my hand in the presence of witnesses.

hereunto set two subscribing LINCOLN BRODT.

\Vitnesses R. A. SMITH, S. S. BURBANK.

of said apertures -ieing 

